Traveling with My Daughter

The summer vacation is over, Chhavi has just gone back to school. This was the most fun summer vacation we ever had. We both played tennis, we did the quick trip to Thailand and of course we ended up studying as well. My child will never know the joy of playing non stop for two months, like we did, back in the days when there was no holiday homework! But such is life. Traveling with my daughter is so much fun though!

While Chhavi played tennis and I would wait for my turn, I often ended up discussing summer vacation plans with other moms. I have never understood the logic- if we do not take our kids abroad what will they go back and tell in the school?

I have been travelling abroad since 2014 with Vasudha and Chhavi also known as double trouble. That was the year when Chhavi got her passport but I don’t think she has any inclination to go back and brag in her school. That has never been our motivation for travelling.

This year I heard a new variation of the theme- my children refuse to go anywhere which is not exclusively meant for kids. The first time Chhavi, Vasudha and I traveled abroad it was to Hongkong and primarily Disneyland. But since then the kids have been to Prague with me.

And this year Chhavi and I went to Thailand, we visited Koh Samui. A a lot of people told me that Samui is a quiet place and the kid would not like it. I am happy to say that Chhavi can entertain herself for hours on a beach and in the swimming pool.

I had plans of taking her on a speed boat ride but I was a little hesitant. Those trips are long and the sun is hot. She took the matter out of our hands. She refused to go anywhere.

She was happy to stay at the resort. After breakfast we would go look for water. She would jump in the pool, then get out and go jump in the sea only to be back and jump in the pool again. This is what she more or less did for the entire vacation. She also enjoyed the Jacuzzi in our room at the Royal Muang Samui Villas.

She refused to go out anywhere other than to the street outside to have a few of our meals. There were open air massage shacks which we both enjoyed. She went on a jet ski ride too. All this was available right by our beach, the beautiful Choeng Mon Beach.

I firmly believe that kids can enjoy any destination as long as we are a little creative, listen to them and give them the freedom to voice their opinions. For example when we were in Prague, I realized that the kids like to go to open parks once in the day. They would race me to the top a Castle, visit a church, sit down quietly for a meal in the afternoon but by the evening they would nudge me towards either Kampa or Lanta Park where they could run around, walk or just make a silly games and play.

While we were flying back from Koh Samui I read an article in the in the Silkwinds, the magazine of Silk Air which precisely voice my opinions but in a better way. The authors in their story, Have Kids Will Travel, mention that they took their 2 year old to Angkor Wat. And the kid loved visiting Mr Buddha’s house! You can read the article and the may issue here.

As a parent I feel we already protect our kids too much. I do not want to make their vacations a complete bubble wrap. Until I read the article I always felt unsure when people said their kids refuse to travel if they are not taken to a theme park or a water park or something similar. But when I read that article at 32 thousand feet I exactly understood what I felt.

So if a two year old can enjoy visiting Mr. Buddha’s House, what is wrong in enjoying a beach or a swimming pool? One can just explore a new place and realize that the world is a beautiful place and in the end as they in Thailand, we in the end are same same but different!

Holiday in South Goa with Kids was a fabulous experience! If you read this blog you know my kids are known as double trouble! Chhavi is my daughter and Vasu is my niece. Together they become double trouble. They have been to Hong Kong before Goa. While I was alone with them in Hong Kong, I had a lot of help in Goa.

Double Trouble at Goa Airport

We were staying in a serviced apartment in South Goa, quite close to Ramada Caravela Beach Resort. Fatrade Beach was at a walking distance. If you wish you can also rent villas from companies like Choose Villa. Luckily both my girls love water, so keeping them entertained was not a problem at all. However, from my experience I know that keeping their stomachs full is critical to the success of a holiday! We managed to do that as well.

All of us arrived at different dates. Seshadri and Chhavi arrived first. Next day Seshadri’s parents arrived. Vasu and I arrived a day after that. And the last to arrive was Seshadri’s college friend. On the first evening when Vasu and I arrived, all of us went to the Fatrade Beach. The girls got drenched within no time. I joined them merrily.

An Awesome Holiday in Goa!

There is a beautiful side effect of playing in the water and being outdoors for hours on end! As soon as the dinner got over, the girls crashed to bed without any fuss! It was my task to tell them a bed time story! I would tell them a silly one, basically narrating the days events, only changing the names of the two little girls! They would giggle like crazy and go to bed soon! They knew it was their story and they would keep giving me suggestions along the way!

I Clicked it with a Zoom Lens, they Never Stand this Still when I am Around!

On day two, our agenda was the beach again! The kids got up quite early and they left for the beach with Seshdari and his friend. My in-laws were going for a city tour. So we left together, I for the beach and they for the city.

Chhavi at Goa

By now we had found a good shack to sit by while we took turns to keep an eye on the kids. They played like small cute wild animals till they could play no more! They went about 9.00 am and came about 1.00 pm.

She Wanted my Sunglasses too!

Then it was time for lunch. The girls are experts at ordering and then not eating stuff. By the time we went back to the flat everyone wanted a siesta other than the two kids! My in-laws were back too and sleep was high on their agenda. So, I offered to stay up with the girls and take them to the beach in the evening again. In the meanwhile the sprinklers went on the lawns of the apartment complex and out ran the two, to get wet again!

Th Kids Parasailing in Goa

That evening no one else was in a hurry to go back to the beach except the kids! Once there, the girls decided that they wanted to do parasailing and I reluctantly agreed! But they were so tired by the evening that they didn’t protest much when I suggested we go home! Dinner was cooked by my mom-in-law. After an early dinner once again the girls were quite happy to go call it a day!

Holiday in South Goa with Kids!

On our last full day in Goa my in-laws, husband and his friend went to the Cavelossim area. We girls hit the beach once again! By now our shack routine was perfect. The girls were known there, they knew me as their mom and we all knew what we liked to eat! As the day would go by, the girls would ask for French Fries and Chocolate Milk Shake. Sometimes they would ask for coconut water too!

Beer and the Beach!

Towards the afternoon I would have a beer with fried mushrooms. We would take turns to get wet! By afternoon we would go back in search of lunch!

On our last evening Vasu, Chhavi, Seshadri and I went to the Cavelossim Beach. The sunset that evening was amazing. The first picture in this post has been clicked at Cavelossim Beach in South Goa.

By Our Favorite Shack!

Even though we did nothing much other than hitting the Fatrade Beach in South Goa, it was an awesome holiday for all of us. The girls already can’t wait to go back to Goa!

When we went on a family vacation, parasailing for kids in Goa was never on the agenda. But they managed to put it there soon and were done with it too!

We finally managed to take a family vacation to South Goa this November. We all travel a lot, my husband does, so do I! Chhavi travels with both of us! But we three rarely get a chance to go together!

But this time we were a big group. Seshadri and I were there, so were double trouble– Chhavi and my niece Vasu. Seshadri’s parents were there. And one of Seshadri’s college friend joined us too. So in all we were 7 people staying in a serviced apartment in Goa.

Still one evening it was only the kids and me chilling at the Fatrade Beach. Everyone else was tired and taking their siesta. Double trouble asked me if they could go parasailing. I told them to go and inquire about it. If the experts allowed them I would think about it.

The place was about 50 meters from the shack which we used to frequent. I thought the girls will not go on their own to ask! But off they went without giving me a backward glance!

They came running back to say they would be allowed and it 2400 rupees for two people. However, at that moment due to lack of customers, the parasailing was halted temporarily. I knew that. But they thought it had stop for the day. I didn’t correct them.

So, they went back to the beach again. However, in a while the parasailing guys got another customer and it went up in the air. They came running with excitement shouting, “lets go, lets go!”

Getting Ready!

I got up thinking I will talk to the guys and see if they were really allowed. I was still finding it hard to believe that they would take two small children up in the sky! But they told me as well, that it was not a problem at all.

“You are letting them Go?” asked Tintin

Out came two small life jackets for kids. The girls are eight and ten. There was no other adult from my family on the beach. The decision to let them go was entirely mine. Truth be told I was scared but I did not want to hold them back! Tintin was equally surprised at what I was doing!

But my heart was almost in my mouth. I, for a second, thought of the consequences of something going wrong but then I had seen the sail go up so many times the same day. There was an instructor with them. He went on all the sails.

It Felt Like an Eternity to Me!

And within no time they were soaring up in the sky. They must have remained up in the air for just a little more than a minute. And yet it felt like an eternity.

Here is a short video of their adventure. I stopped mid-way because the guys handling the activity wanted me out of the way of the ropes.

Back to Terra Firma!

As they came back to terra firma, I exhaled a huge sigh of relief. They were on safe grounds again!

They were busy, chattering with each-other. And of course, they wanted to do it again!